Nation

Breeders: Project causing fish deaths

Stinky mess: Dead fish floating at one of the fish farms in Tanjung Kupang in the Johor Straits near Gelang Patah.

GELANG PATAH: Land reclamation around the Tanjung Kupang area has been causing mass deaths of fishes in farms, claim breeders.

At least 10 fish farms and 250 traditional fishermen are affected after fish started dying in large numbers since Monday.

Dead fish could also be seen floating along the waters from Puteri Harbour in Nusajaya to Tanjung Kupang, and these include jenahak (snapper), kerapu (grouper), senangin (threadfin) and ikan merah (mangrove jack).

Fish farmer Lee Boon Hock, 30, said he suffered losses of more than RM150,000 in three days as more than 90% of his fish as well as 70,000 senangin fry had died.

“We can only salvage what is left but those fish still have to be tested to see if they are safe for consumption,” he said at his fish farm near Kampung Pendas, right below the Second Link here yesterday.

He noticed that the sea water had been polluted and turned brownish after the land reclamation project began about a month ago.

Kampung Ladang/Tanjung Kupang Fisher­men Club chairman Ibrahim Atan said he had received lots of complaints, especially from fishermen in Kampung Ladang, Tanjung Kupang, Kampung Poh and Tanjung Pelepas.

He said for many of them, fishing was their source of incomeand the incident had caused their catch to drop by 50% since Monday.